Veil: Bloodlines

“You can try. Roll initiative.”

THE GRIMMTHORNE WILDS

Baron Bartholomew Smythe of Malgrimm and the Hills of the Forgotten

Baroness Sybil Davenport of Stormperch and The Anvilcliff Mountains

—

Thousands upon thousands of years ago, when the first people landed on the continent from the Old Kingdoms, the harsh lands that were once known as Malgrimm were settled by humans and elves who wanted their independence from the territories of Veil, Throne, and Del Maleth. Hundreds of orc tribes lived in the Malgrimm Hills and constantly battled with the humans of Malgrimm and the elf tribes.

When the Dragons conquered the Isle of Obadon, they conscripted all the humans and elves who were able to fight and took them on the Dragonflight. The children, the elderly, and the sick were left behind to content with the orcs on their own.

Many fled into the walled city of Malagath for protection as the orc tribes quickly realized they outnumbered the remaining people of the Malgrimm Hills. For years the orcs would attempt to destroy the walls of Malagath only to be defeated time and time again. Many orc tribes left the Hills of Malgrimm entering the abandoned Old City of Veil believing it was easier to pillage the empty wards than to continue to fight against the well-manned walls of Malagath. This was the beginning of the Orc Wars.

The Elf Tribes of Malgrimm

After the Orc Wars, Malagath became a city of the Third Great Kingdom of Throne and was renamed Malgrimm in honor of the people and lands that never gave in to the overwhelming odds against the orc tribes. The Malgrimm Hills were renamed The Hills of the Forgotten since it had been several decades since humans wandered the rocky terrain.

have never known a lasting peace. Once the territory of Throne conquered the entire continent and renamed Malgrimm to The Grimmthorne Wilds, the hills and the plains and the mountains continue to see the scars of battle. A settlement usually, at most, lasts a year or two before the roving hordes of orcs the hills pillage, rape, and destroy the communities. Even with the use of companies, the people of The Grimmthorne Wilds have never once, for hundreds upon hundreds of years, ever been able to completely tame the Wilds of Grimmthorne. If it weren’t dangerous enough traveling through the Wilds, many bandits who escape from one of the other regions usually find their way to the Hills of the Forgotten and waylay any travelers unprepared to defend themselves. Those that call this place home have learned to survive on their own, developing a strong sense of self-reliance.

the GRIMMTHORNEWILDS is like a typical outdoors adventure but with a dark, rocky, grimm tone. Has an outdoorsy feel. random monsters, bandits, giants, tribes of orcs, and a lot of abandoned or destroyed towns and villages and towers and castles and mines. Even in the Anvilcliff Mountains it’s like that, but there is just more giants than orcs.

companies (mixture of races)
city watch (each city)
riders of the fields
bandits
arena chanllenger
warriors of the wilds
rangers of the wilds
druids of the wilds
elf tribes of the wilds (warriors, rangers, druids but elf)
custodian
crier

There are only two large cities that call the hills home, which have withstood the tribes of the hills and the bandits from The Shrouds. Malagath and Malgrimm. While many settlements, cities, and forts have been built throughout the decades, only these two continue to stand in defiance of the waves and waves of attacks from outside their walls. In the Anvilcliff Mountains is Stormperch – that contend with the raids of the Anvilcliff Dwarves, pirates and pillagers who were ousted by Throne. All four cities of The Grimmthorne Wilds are independent of each other, providing for their own people in their own ways.

Malagath is a huge fortress-city, boasting an army called, the Azul, the traditional guard to the old Trade Lord Marathel Malagath, whose family continues to exist as influential members of Malagath society. Baroness Marjorie Malagath presides over Malagath, as has Malagath’s over the centuries. Malagath produces the most tobacco and cotton for the Empire and controls and protects the Cloud Fields, the stretch of fields that contain the tobacco and cotton.

The heavily garrisoned and fortified city of Malgrimm, named so after the territory, is where Lord Eloso Mazurka resides with his army called The Blackleaf Brotherhood. Eloso Mazurka is a descendant of Devon Blackleaf, fabled hero of Malgrimm, who single-handedly killed a dragon during the Dragon Wars. He is a strategist, through and through, fighting an endless war with the orcs and elf tribes of the Grimmthorne Wilds. Although his Blackleaf Brotherhood is outnumbered ten to one, he is able to maintain his holdings because of his cunning mind.

—

THEORCTRIBES

The orc tribes – Although collectively known as the Grimmthorne Orc Tribes, their raiding territories do not adhere to the boundaries of man. Their territories range from the Grimmthorne Wilds, the Hushwoods, and the Dawngaurd Lands. All they care about is taking what they believe is rightfully theirs and destroying anyone who gets in their way, be it human, elf, or another orc.

THEELFTRIBES

The elven tribes – The elven tribes have devolved into barbarism and animism. They do not adhere to traditional elven culture from the once proud lands of Del Maleth, they only follow the seasons, the herds, and the call of the hills. They have been hunted for centuries by the humans and the orcs, but have always managed to stave off their cultural extinction. They are nomads and are in tune with the hills, able to avoid detection and capture. There are five elf tribes left, all following the ancient teachings of their animal spirit. The Bear Tribe, the Wolf Tribe, the Cougar Tribe, and the Viper Tribe. They do not war with each other, but they do not form one elven army as it does not fit with their tribes teachings. In the eyes of others, these elf tribes are savages, but to them, they are living one with the hills.

The Anvilcliff Dwarves – Once an integral part of Trade Lord commerce machine, after the Dragon Wars and the departure of the dragon armies, they were forced to leave their ancient home of Anvilcliff. They took to the rocky shores of the Anvilcliff mountains, where only dwarves were able to live, pirating and pillaging coastal towns across Throne. They also have sailed to the lands south of the empire, discovering new cities and populations that are more accepting of differences. Their culture revolves around the open seas, piracy, and exploration. Free spirited dwarves with a sail above them.

The Grimmthorne Wilds is home to hundreds of abandoned settlements, destroyed towers, and castle ruins, due to the constant fighting that the lands are known for.

—

Scattered across the hills of the Wilds are old, sacked
towns, villages, and cities. These are the remnants of
what was once a vast network of different types of communities
interacting with each other for thousands of years, developing
very different cultures, and very different lifestyles.
When the orcs destroyed the territory of malgrimm, they left
next to no trace of those cities, villages, or towns. And
even before the orcs came, the corruption took a hold in
many of these places.

the territory Malgrimm before the dragon masters took over
was already a large number of independent societies
working amongst, but not necessarily with, each other. Some
even unknown to others for hundreds of years. But after the
orcs devestated mostly all of the societies and communities,
any survivors sought refuge in the city of Malgrimm, the only
city to have withstood the orc tribes for not only the 17 years
of the orc wars, but the thousands of years before.

the territory of Malgrimm, renamed the Grimmthorne Wilds,
strangely, has become, once again, an uncharted area of hills
and mountains.THEANVILCLIFFMOUNTAINRANGES
Are a short mountain rage of about 200 miles. The mountains reach
as high as 11,000 feet. use this as an example of the
Anvilcliff Mountain Ranges:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_Ranges

once a year a trading caravan will come to the malgrimm to from Veil
trade for rice and fruits and vegetables only the malgrimm grows.
that is because the quickest way to get to Malgrimm
from Veil is not the safest.The quickesy way is on the side of the shrouds
that border the artoria river. that would take two to three days with horses
and carts and wagons. Many attempts in the past even with companies hired
for protection, have lead to entire caravans being raided by the creatures
from the shrouds and those that escaped would only escape with their lives,
all supplies and trade goods would’ve been stolen by the creatures of the
shrouds.

The third option is to take boats down the Artoria River which can only happen
once a year since the Artoria River is usually very, very, wild river
filled with strong currents and jagged rocks for most of it’s length.
only during the hotest days in summer does the Artoria River remain
docile enough to sail down. It is during this time that traders from
Veil can travel to Malgrimm and trade. Interestingly enough, once a trader
makes his way to Malgrimm from Veil, they have to stay a year because
it would be too dangerous to go by way of the shrouds with so much cargo,
and it would be near impossible to make it through the dense forests of
the hushwoods.

since a merchant can only travel from malgrimm to veil
or veil to malgrimm with a large amounts of supplies
and cargo to trade once a year during the hotest days
of summer, once they arrive at their destination, they
have to stay there for a year until it is safe to travel
down the artoria again. So many of these traders and
merchants go from veil to malgrimm, from malgrimm to
veil in two years time, so they must make sure they
get enough money from this very expensive endevour.
As a result, the only ones who actually make this
journey are some of the more wealthy, influential, and
adventurous people of Throne.

When they travel from Veil, they end up on a port town connected to Malgrimm.

Might have to make Malgrimm closer to the Artoria river or make a
walled road towards that town. To keep the orcs away or some shit. Because
how else are they going to keep the caravan of cargo barges safe for a whole
year?MALGRIMM

the hilly area where Malgrimm sits is one of the dryest
places in all of the Wilds. Freshwater is scarce in
the hills of the Wilds, and it very rarely rains.
However, the custodians of Malgrimm have devised a
clever way of bringing freshwater to the people of
Malgrimm. Like all dry hilly areas, they once were the
beds and shores of a mighty river that dried up a
long time ago. The Custodians knew this and so
begane digging wells in strategic locations connected
to an underground river they call, The Sunken River.
Over time, in order to capitalize on the several wells
around Malgrimm, they connected the wells with tunnels
(like that group of dudes in the desert from Human Planet)
so the water from The Sunken River, which is actually a
large tributary of the Artoria river, could flow to the
farmlands that would not exist without utilizing
the Sunken River. These tunnels have also revealed
caverns and caves that have yet to be explored.

The entire city along with it’s surrounding rice paddies,
crops, wells, and farmlands are contained within their massive
walls. The custodians are extremely proud of this accomplishment.

They grow rice within manmade paddy fields surrounding
Malgrimm. (like in Wild China) They’re able to grow vegetables
as well. They eat a combination of the meat they hunt,
the rice, and vegetables. I’d call it a Beef and Veggie Bowl
from Yoshinoya.

Because they are able to take advantage of the Sunken River,
Malgrimm also has plant life growing around the city as well.
bushes, small tress, and grass dot the hills around Malgrimm.
While the most of the Wilds is dry and arrid, the hills around
Malgrimm are green and alive.

Once a year, merchants and traders from Veil
trade with Malgrimm for tons of rice and their furs. They take a trip

the wilds are like china mongolia
———————————————–

THEGRIMMTHORNEWILDS
After Throne betrayed the dwarves and conquered the elves, they also took control
of Malgrimm. They renamed it The Grimmthorne Wilds and appointed barons and dukes
as members of the King’s Council. Only after a few months did Throne realize that
getting around the Wilds was very difficult. Not only is the terrain filled with
unending rows of hills and tall mountains, it is filled with the orc tribes, as well as
goblins, giants, ogres, minotaurs and shit like that. The elf tribes make their homes
there as well, so none of these people of the Wilds along with the native humans
made sure the barons and dukes and their companies knew what they were in for.
They killed the Throne respresentatives. When Throne found out, they sent a larger
number of companies, who were easily defeated. Throne did not send anyone a third
time knowing that navigating through the Wilds as people who were not raised there
would be suicide. Throne made a pact with them stating that The Grimmthornne Wilds
is part of the Throne Empire, but the people of the Wilds may choose their own barons,
their own dukes, their own system of government, their own way of treating the
non-humans. The four human cities agreed, joined the Empire, and have living near
autonomous from Throne and from each other.

As the decades went by, the cities had rarer rarer contact with each other and with
Throne. The Shrouds became more active and travelers and merchants would vanish
never to leave the Shrouds, making it difficult to reach two of the cities of the Wilds.
Each city, in essence, became it’s own kingdom. The visits from Throne suppliers and
traders and merchants eventually occured only once a year. Cries would still come and go,
but the criers aren’t looked upon as fantatically as the people of the Dawnguard Lands
look upon them. They are still enjoyable and amusing, but aren’t celebrities.CRIERNOTE: in fact, one of the classes in the Conservatory is the navigation, the customs,
and shit like that for the Wilds.

because I changed the size of Throne, this place is MALGRIMM not Malagath.
1) Malgrimm – this place is pretty close to the shrouds. the people here have fought a shit
ton of battles because there are some goblin bandits that occupy the shrouds and
have been attacking them for decades. The orc tribes have often attacked, and at one time,
sacked this city. But Throne forced the orcs out. Those orc tribes that once called
Malgrimm home have been trying to get it back. Malagath is attacked by those orc tribes
at least once a month, but Malagath always defeats them.

There are three orc tribes. The Blood Fingers, The Rock Skins, and The Yellow Hands.
As often as they attack Malagath, they attack each other. Hey, ya know, that how orcs are.
By nature, orcs do not farm or herd or anything like that. They simply take. They attack
and take it for themselves. That’s how orcs are. They are natural marauders. And they
breed like crazy. Some rangers have joked, “They breed just as quickly as they kill
each other.”

Malagath has high walls, towers with ballista and rows and rows of archer nooks. The whole
city is walled, their farmlands are walled, they grazing lands are walled, their smaller
villages and towns, everything is walled. And each wall is patrolled and manned by
several different companies that serve the Lord (Lady?) of Malagath. But the castle,
the different farms, the storages, etc, are not connected. Each of these things have their
own wall. So to travel from wall to wall must be escorted by soldiers every single time.

Malagath is located on one of the highest hills in the Wilds, so has advantage against
all attackers from any side. Malagath’s defenses have only fallen once, to the orcs,
and that was because no one was left to fight except the children, the elderly, and the
sick. Once they got the city back, custodians from the conservatory began improving the
material, the designs of the defenses, and positioning for optimal defense. The
Custodians here are well known and well respected.

There are a lot of high grasslands in the hills around Malagath and is native to
tigers, snakes, and eagles, which is the totem spirits of the elf tribes
respectively. Since these elf tribesmen have integrated into their culture, the humans
have adopted many of the elves dress. The nobles of Malagath wear tiger skin capes,
or snake skin gloves, or hats with large eagle feathers. Not as a sign of disrespect,
but of admiration. Although there is a little tinge of co-opting a culture, but, hey,
you know.

Ironically, Malgrimm is walled as was Throne a few hundred years earlier. Once Throne
became the Third Empire, they took down their walls to take advantage of their lands.
However is was Custodians from Throne who helped reconstruct the walls of Malagath.
They are not finished. They actually want to create tunnels from farm to farm to
storage to storage to castle to make travel safer. This, they beleive could allow them
to create safe marketplaces, illusionariums, shit like that and, possibly, even one
day, they can make a second Veil (Second meaning to the old bad ass Veil, not the
current, puny, shadow of old veil.) As you can tell, construction is going really slow
because the attacks from the orcs. and golbins.

These dudes are fighters, warriors, and they drink a lot, they fuck a lot, and they
battle a lot. Not with each other. The people of Malagath are united as fuck. The battles
they fight are with the orcs, goblins, and ogres, and giants, and shit that keep
attacking them. In fact, for every battle someone has been a victor in, he or she
gets a tattoo that symbloizes the victory. The more tattoos, the more respected. Also,
certain tattoos are recognizable because they represented a famous battle. Something
like the axe-breaker tattoo because of (some long ass story, that is even part of the
Canticle.)

They get along pretty well with the elf tribes and treat them as equals, often allowing
them inside their walls for a respite from battle. Sometimes, the elven tribes have
even helped the people of Malagath, either by joining them in battle or giving them
information they have regarding their enemies.

THe ELFTRIBES
Since the dragonflight and the orc invasion, the elf tribes were nearly wiped out,
if not for the help from the people of Malagath and Malgrimm. With their very, very,
very small numbers, the elves from different tribes became citizens and new brothers
and sisters in Malagath and Malgrimm. The eagles, snakes, and tigers, integrated into
Malagath, while the bear and the wolf integrated with Malgrimm.

Malgrimm becomes Malagath and Malagath no longer exists.
2) Malgrimm

This means all five elf tribes are integrated into Malgrimm.
Fashion sense, wolf pelts, and bear skins.

They do the tattoo thing, too.

3) Stormperch – The only other major city in The Wilds. Completely out of the reach of
Throne, the people of Stormperch care nothing for the Empire. In fact, there is no
direct road to Stormperch, only through the ocean can one reach Stormperch. On the side
of the cliff, the people of Stormperch live. Stormperch was once home to The Anvilcliff
Dwarves, a dwarven culture that fit as well in the ocean as they did in the Anvilcliff
Mountains. The dragonflight took all able bodied men and women, leaving the children,
the elderly, and the ill. The orcs scaled the mountains and attempted to lay seige
on the cliffside city. But there was no one to be found. The Anvilcliff Dwarves had
abandoned their home in order to save themselves. They boarded their boats and set sail
into the unknown ocean. Once Throne kicked the orcs out, a Duke and his men were sent
to oversee Stormperch. Custodians were sent and marveled at the engineering the dwarves
has accomplished, bing able to build a city on the side of a cliff. With their farming
fields found in random grassy level areas scattered across the side of the mountains.
Just like in that documentary I saw called human planet.
The dwarves employed mechanical elevators pulled by ropes attached to giant rams to
get from one level to another, to get from one feild to another, to get from the top
of the mountains, to the rocky shores below. The Custodians improved on the design
no longer needing a beast of burden, but manipulating the waterfall and a complicated
arrangement of water wheels and water turbines to maove people and supplies
from area to area, from level to level, from field to field.

Real quick, let me describe Stormperch. There are waterfalls spouting out from
several areas in the Anvilcliffs. The Custodians redesigned the city to take
advantage of where the waterfalls were, how conssitent they were in their pressure and
strength so as to utilize them in regtards to their evelator system.

People from Throne immediately moved in but soon realized they were isolated
from the rest of the Kingdom. Sailing around Throne took nearly as long as attempting
to travel through the mountains. They knew they could only rely on themsleves. But
during their first months, their supplies diwndling, their crops not growing, people
not accustomed to living on the Anvilcliffs, was extremely harsh. And it only got worse
for the next few years.

However, they noticed every spring humback whales mating near the rocky shore below.
Starving, so out of necessity, they quickly developed a way to hunt the whales, which
could feed them for weeks to almost months. They carry harpoons and then jump down into the
ocean as they impale the whale. Just like in that documentary human planet.
They believe that, every spring, Reohm allows them to hunt the humpback whale to
continue to serve him.

As a result, the Custodians carved a statue of a humpback whale into the Anvilcliffs.
After they acknowledged their connection to the humpback whale, their crops began to
prosper, and their courage to live independently burned. And every spring
they have a city-wide celebration to honor the whale and reohm.

Solme criers tell stories of the people of Stormperch possessing the ability to
ride whales. This has never been confirmed, though.

They occassionally trade with Throne merchants and traders, but seeing as how it is
difficult to reach Stormperch, these traders only come to their cliffs at least
once a year.